Belfast confetti, ciaran carson s third book of poetry, weaves together in. He has used punctuation to symbolize missiles that protestants used during this riot, which was against the catholic crowd in belfast. Belfast confetti read by ciaran carson aqa conflict anthology. Ciaran carson is a poet and novelist who was born in northern ireland and has always had a deep passion for politics. Belfast confetti, ciaran carson s third book of poetry, weaves together in a carefully sequenced volume prose pieces, long poems, lyrics, and haiku. The poem belfast confetti derives its name from the large ship constructing rivets as well as all the other. He knows intimately not only the urban belfast in which he was raised as a native irish speaker, but also the traditions of rural ireland. The name of the poem derives from the nickname for the large shipbuilding rivets and other scrap metal that were used as missiles by protestant shipyard workers during anticatholic riots in belfast. Belfast confetti by ciaran carson mp3s teaching resources. Belfast confetti a poem by ciaran carson the road to. Limits of orality and textuality in ciaran carsons. Belfast confetti ciaran carson ciaran carson was born in belfast, the capital city of northern ireland, in 1948. Belfast confetti suddenly as the riot squad moved in, it was raining exclamation marks, nuts, bolts, nails, carkeys. Ciaran carson is one of the most challenging and inventive of contemporary irish writers, exhibiting verbal brilliance, formal complexity, and intellectual daring across a remarkably varied body of work.
In belfast confetti 1993 carson combines his ability to vividly render everyday life with his evocation of belfasts. Belfast confetti by ciaran carson abebooks passion for books. It helps, but is not entirely necessary, to know that belfast confetti was metal detritus from the shipyards. He grew up in an era of political uproar and northern irish terrorism that. Irish poetry, ciaran carson, poetics, intertextuality, translation. I forget the precise details, but at a time of strife between the flemish citystates, suspects were asked to pronounce the. From the formal and thematic traditions of his earlierst work, the new estate 1976, the energetic long lines of the irish for no 1987 and belfast confetti 1989, to the formal adroitness of opera et cetera 1996, the alexandrine plan 1998 and the twelfth of never 1998, carson has shown himself to be an. In the essay intelligence, which ends the middle section of his fourth book of poems, belfast confetti 1989, ciaran carson identifies the city of belfast with. Ciaran carson s belfast confetti pulls the reader into the aftermath of belfast s sectarian riot. Eliot prize and the forward prize for best poetry collection for breaking news in 2003. One is a straight forward reading of the poem no sfx, one a reading with sound effects, and one a commentary on th. Ciaran carsons belfast confetti johns hopkins university. His subjects include the permeable boundaries of belfast neighborhoods, of memory, of public and private fear, and, indeed, of the forms of language and art.
Suddenly as the riot squad moved in, it was raining exclamation marks, nuts, bolts, nails, car keys. Three audio files intended to aid study and revision of belfast confetti by ciaran carson. Interspersed with prose passages reflecting on place, placenames, and the mutability of each, these poems center on the experience of living in a city. Pdf ciaran carsons poetry is deeply concerned with the city of belfast. As a preface to part one of belfast confetti, ciaran carson quotes a passage from walter benjamins a berlin childhood around the turn of the century. Educated at the queens university, belfast, he was appointed chair of poetry at its seamus heaney centre for poetry in 2003. Dresden opens the first part and the book itself, but the opening poem of the second part belfast confetti is perhaps even. Ciaran carson was born in 1948 and raised in belfast, where he still lives. He is a musician and has published last nights fun, a book about.
Ciaran carson is also an accomplished musician, and is the author of last nights fun. Hiphop star akala explores the poem belfast confetti with its author ciaran carson. The verb suddenly signals that the poem depicts a frantic and changing situation, and by the first lines caesura, the reader knows that this involves some kind of civil unrest, since a riot squad is involved. Belfast confetti gcse english language and english. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the. About time, food and music 1996, a study of irish traditional music. Ciaran carson on his poem belfast confetti english. Belfast and began serving as the traditional arts officer of the arts council of northern ireland. Belfast confetti ciaran carson on free shipping on qualifying offers. Complete analysis of belfast confetti by ciaran carson.
With ciaran carson reading in boston and athens, ga this week, we thought it might be fun to share one of our carson favorites, belfast confetti. Download this entire guide to belfast confetti as a printable pdf. Carson had belfast lore and topography at his fingertips, but he superimposed a psychic overlay on the citys mundane streets. A pdf version of this book is available for free in open access via the oapen library platform. This study considers the full range of his oeuvre, in poetry, prose, and.
Taking its title from a poem in the preceding volume, this book closely identifies the long line with urban geography. He graduated from queens university in 1971, and later joined the arts council of northern ireland, specialising in traditional music. His subjects include the permeable boundaries of belfast neighborhoods, of memory, of public and private fear, and, indeed, of. Belfast confetti, first language and opera et cetera.
Ciaran carson lives in north belfast with his wife, deirdre shannon, and their three children. Revision notes for belfast confetti by ciaran carson for ccea gcse students. The poet ciaran carson, who has died aged 70 of cancer, grew up in the catholic falls road area of belfast. Belfast confetti, provided the title for david remnicks 1994 a. Carsons very name may embody a crosscultural project ciaran is catholic, carson is protestant. His prose works include last nights fun, a book about irish traditional music. In the essay intelligence, which ends the middle section of his fourth book of poems, belfast confetti 1989, ciaran carson identifies the city of belfast with the utilitarian philosopher jeremy benthams panopticon, a model reform prison composed of individual cells equally visible from a central tower, which bentham described in a 1791 work of the same name. If you are studying poetry with ccea your examination will be open book. Belfast confetti read by ciaran carson aqa conflict. Belfast confetti was written by the irish poet ciaran carson and published in the collection the irish for no in 1987. The alliteration and consonance of s and k sounds throughout the first line and a half gives the opening a. Belfast confetti by ciaran carson poem analysis, gcse.
About music, food and time 1997, a book of prose, and the history of belfast plays in his memoir, the star factory 1998. Belfast confetti, ciaran carsons third book of poetry, weaves together in. Ciaran carsond latest book, belfast confetti, is one of the most exciting and innovative collections of northern irish poetry to be. In the poem hairline crack from belfast confetti, the narrator. Suddenly as the riot squad moved in, it was raining exclamation marks, nuts, bolts, nails, carkeys. Belfast confetti opens in media resin the midst of the action. Suddenly as the riot squad moved in it was raining exclamation marks, nuts, bolts, nails, carkeys. Ciaran carsons alternative topographies of divided belfast. In the poem belfast confetti the temporal aspect of city life is fronted by. He is the author of nine collections of poems, including belfast confetti, first language, and breaking news. He held the position of traditional arts officer of the arts council of northern ireland from 1975 to 1998 and was appointed director of the seamus heaney centre for poetry. Belfast confetti poem summary and analysis litcharts. The fair face of flanders by patricia carson excellent, accessible book for the nonspecialist.
Carson is a traditional musician, a scholar of the irish oral traditional, a prosewriter, a translator, as well as a poet. He was director of the seamus heaney centre for poetry at queens university, belfast, until his retirement in 2015. His translation of dantes inferno won the oxford weidenfeld translation prize, and he was an honorary member of the. Ciaran carsons collected poems gathers work from eight collections. This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title belfast confetti. Buy belfast confetti by ciaran carson from waterstones today. He went on to transfigure his native city, and transfix his readers, with a rich. In america, gerry adams was hailed as the sane face of nationalisman irish nelson mandela. He is an accomplished musician as well as a poet and novelist. Belfast confetti a poem by ciaran carson suddenly as the riot squad moved in, it was raining exclamation marks.
The family lived in a space about a mile square marked by. Ciaran carson has established a reputation as one of irelands most important. Belfast confetti is a poem about the aftermath of a sectarian riot in belfast, by northern irish poet and translator. Sample question belfast confetti ccea gcse english. Belfast confetti by carson, ciaran and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Carson was also author of the novel shamrock tea 2001. Belfast confetti, ciaran carsons third book of poetry, weaves together in a carefully sequenced volume prose pieces, long poems, lyrics, and haiku. Belfast in the poetry and prose of ciaran carson researchgate. Ciaran carson, poet, novelist and musician, was born in belfast, northern ireland in 1948. Carsons interest in traditional irish music informed last nights fun. Ciaran gerard carson was born in 1948 in belfast and educated at the queens university, belfast. About the author ciaran carson was born in belfast in 1948.